


The Glitch In Events

by Lexa_Fox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Not Canon Compliant, The Golden Trio Era (Harry Potter), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25035820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexa_Fox/pseuds/Lexa_Fox
Summary: It's the Marauders' final year at Hogwarts. James and Lily are newly dating, Sirius is a confused mess and Remus is falling deeper for his crush than ever before. After a seed of doubt enters his mind, James Potter has something to prove, and his endeavours to do so end up screwing with the lives of Marauders and Golden Trio alike...This is a time-travel fic that I've taken from my old abandoned fanfiction.net account and decided to rewrite. I never got very far with it last time, but hopefully a few years' more writing experience and a covid lockdown will eventually make it good!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 84





	1. Sticks and Stones

**Author's Note:**

> “I mean, it’s James Potter, Lils! He’s arrogant, he’s shallow, and you remember what went on with him and Snape! You’ve got to admit it’s hardly a promising base for a relationship..."
> 
> Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series, while its author is anonymous, was not written by me, so none of these characters are legally mine.
> 
> This is a difficult time to be writing anything Harry Potter-related, but I want to begin by letting any and all readers of this work know that this space accepts and loves everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. This series does belong to us, if you'll still have it <3 and I hope my little take on it can help to keep some of that magic alive that a certain Dementor has been trying to take away. We know how to defeat dementors guys, gals and non-binary pals!

_31st August 1977_

James leaned against the park bench’s rusting iron frame, staring at the shoes he’d been scuffing on the concrete. A summer of budding romance had passed on that very bench; or rather, the question James was about to pop would determine just how ‘romantic’ the summer had been. 

Not even Sirius would believe it, but James and Lily had spent almost every day since leaving Hogwarts in that very park, away from prying eyes, just talking about anything and everything. They’d walked more than a marathon around the quaint green space, letting conversation wander from Advanced Transfiguration theory to Fuck, Marry, Kill (of course, they both fucked McGonagall, married Dumbledore and killed Slughorn, although Lily’s killing method was much kinder). Now, James decided, was the time to push his luck. This very day, he’d utter those same words he’d uttered a hundred times before since he was 11 years old. Except this time, there was a hint of hope for a different answer.

A mildly concerned “Y’alright Potter?” shook James out of his nervous trance, only for him to realise there was now a pine cone by his feet which had just been thrown at his head. Lily came to perch next to him on the bench. The humidity of summer had given her autumnal hair a slight frizz that always made James smirk a little, if only because he knew Lily hated it so much. With that, James came to himself again,“Clearly not, after that shocking hit I don’t think I’ll ever serenade for the Witching Hour ever again. Thousands of listeners across the country will mourn me as my voice and I must retire to a reclusive estate, never to be seen again…”

Lily rolled her eyes with a grin on her face, this was a dynamic she was incredibly familiar with by now, but she also knew it meant James was hiding something. If there was one thing this summer had taught her, it was her subconscious awareness of James Potter. It had showed her a different side to the cocky sod she’d known and tolerated, but it had also proved that she noticed him a lot more than she’d realised for someone she merely tolerates. For example, the fact he would run his hands through his hair most when he was nervous, or that he had a habit of tapping his foot in class, or that he would stare more often at Lily in the minutes leading up to a prank just to gather whether his daring mischief would impress her. 

In other words, Lily liked him, and spent half of the previous night complaining into a pillow because of it. Not only was it a stupid, misogynistic cliché that the creep who pesters her long enough is able to make her fall in love with him, but it proved everyone who believed in those stupid clichés right! But then, for the other half of that night, she remembered just how _easy_ it was to talk to that same cocky, arrogant creep of the last six years: how they could each understand a Shakespearean monologue’s-worth of the other’s feelings in just a few words; how she didn’t feel a need to put up a front with him, or to play a role for him. Most friendships are unbalanced in some way, one of the two always depends on the friendship more than the other and yet, to Lily, her and James felt equal. 

“This came for me yesterday,” 

Lily held out an opened letter to James, the Hogwarts seal ripped neatly through the middle without damaging any of the house crests. 

“Dumbledore made me Head Girl!” Lily couldn’t wait for him to read it before blurting it out herself. 

James cracked another smile, this time more sincere than the previous smirk, “Lils, are you serious?” At the same time he pulled an identical letter of his own out of his tan jacket.  Lily’s eyes lit up before she even thought about composure, rushing to give him a hug.

Except James also did the same… and that hug became a kiss. 

The two pulled away seconds later, unable to move or speak. All they could do was stare at one another, slightly avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment. 

“James, I-“

“Lily will you go out with me?!”

Silence once again. James refused to let the shock take away his momentum, pressing on as he floundered in his brain for the remnants of the Marauder-approved speech he had rehearsed the weekend before:

“Lily, look… I know I’ve asked you this so many times, and I don’t expect this time to be any different, but I just wanted you to see that I’m not the stalking creep that I was when I was 12. B-Before, I was chasing something unattainable, but now I’m asking because I want to go out with _you_. With _your_ sarcastic wit and _your_ determinedness and, look, I just don’t want whatever this summer was to disa-

“-Yes.”

James froze, not entirely sure that he’d heard what he thought he had. “Yes?”

Lily looked as shocked as James did that the words had come out of her mouth, so she exhaled and confirmed it for herself, “Yes, James Potter, I’ll go out with you.”

This time they managed a successful hug. 

_1st September 1977_

“She said yes?!!” Sirius spluttered out as he stepped onto the train. 

James looked pointedly towards the entrance of their usual cabin, where Lily was actually only stood to tell James about the meeting with the prefects that was scheduled in an hour. Still, it saved the pair from having at least one version of _that_ conversation. 

“No Pads, she turned me down and I’m about to go and transfigure the sweet trolley into a mini bar, care to join me?”

Sirius was too excited to even carry on the sarcastic pretence, choosing instead to run up to the pair and hug them both, welcoming ‘Lilyflower’ into the family.  Remus’ reaction was far more expected: a heartwarming smile; a “congratulations”; and a knowing look at Lily that implied a full discussion would come later on Prefect duty…

“I still can’t believe ol’ Dumbey made you Head Boy Prongs,” Sirius exclaimed for the third time in the last half an hour, “if it was going to be any of us it would have been Moony…”

James saw Remus turn a light shade of pink due to the guilty look in his eye that he had thought the same. James didn’t blame him, in fact, he agreed. 

“I dunno what he’s thinking,” James admitted, “Maybe he thinks I can’t cause trouble if I’m the one taking away house points for it?”

Sirius paused at that, before realisation dawned on him, “Hold on this is brilliant, we’ve infiltrated the system at its very top! Now the Marauders are practically endorsed by Dumbledore himself!! We’ll be unstoppable!”

After a good two minutes and several awkward looks between James and Lily, Remus brought Sirius back down to Earth, “Sirius, I think Dumbledore’s strategy’s worked… You’re not going to prank anymore, are you James?” 

James shook his head grimly and Sirius’ jaw dropped. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

“Well I’m happy for them, James is finally learning how to treat women and Lily’s more like James than she thinks. They’ll make a great couple.” Remus admitted after the Head duo left to brief their prefects (which Remus, due to his interpersonal relationships with the people giving the meeting, didn’t need to attend), if only just to tease Sirius for his sudden change of heart on ‘Operation Jily’. 

He got the result he wanted, Sirius even gave him a full pout, “Why must love come at such a cost?!! Rem this is why you should have been Head Boy! We didn’t stop pranking when you became a prefect because you understood loyalty!…” 

As entertaining as Sirius’ dramatics were, sometimes he did need a little perspective. Surprisingly, it was Peter who gave it to him.

“Aw come on Pads, he’s hardly betrayed anyone and we’re not 13 anymore, he’s just got a girlfriend. Maybe if you did the same you wouldn’t be so upset…”

It was rare for Wormtail to challenge his fellow Marauders, no matter how reasonable a challenge it would be, but Peter started dating Lydia Clearwater last year and his title as the first Marauder to be in a long-term relationship had given his self-esteem a boost. 

Sirius did pause for a second after that, although rushed to begin talking very soon after. He didn’t want the others to think that talk of girlfriends and relationships had affected him as much as it had. 

“Why would I limit this to just one girl Wormy?” Sirius retaliated, gesturing to his body with a swagger that was second-nature by now. While Peter had been the first to get a girlfriend, Sirius was the first to have had sex, and if Remus had a Sickle for every time they mentioned it he’d need multiple vaults in Gringotts.

As Remus’ eyes began to drift out towards the snowy Pennines flashing past the window, Sirius swiftly changed the topic to regain his attention, “Anyway, we all know Remy here’s the next target of our matchmaking genius.”

“No way Sirius!” Remus knew both sides of this conversation off by heart at this point. It had been a regular occurrence every couple of weeks for the last two years. “You know I’m not getting involved with anyone.” 

The unspoken truth that Remus didn’t want to endanger anyone by letting them get involved with him rang out in the awkward silence, while the even more unspoken fact that Remus was gay simply rang around in his head. Although it was unknown to the others, Remus had a title of his own: first Marauder to fall in love, and the object of his affections was currently sat across from him trying to set him up with anyone else.

Still, Sirius wouldn’t let it go, “Rem you know that’s ridiculous! Your life story is hardly plastered on your forehead, you can have some fun without giving them the Remus Lupin autobiography, which of course I’m gonna ghost write! Actually, on that note, Nearly Headless Nick’s got a good turn of phrase, and he does need a new hobby…”

Remus did crack a smile at that, and Sirius’ eyes lit up as he continued. “Nah you’re right, relationships don’t suddenly make your life better. That’s what we’re here for! And besides, I need someone on my side when we have our Jily intervention.”

Peter began to protest at that idea, which led to an hour-long discussion of the couple at hand and an in-depth analysis of the ‘Ode to a Lily’ that Sirius had found under James’ bed over three years ago… 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

As the meeting drew to a close, Gideon Prewett decided to stay behind, choosing now as his moment to inform James that he was quitting the Quidditch team - perhaps because he was alone and, therefore, wouldn’t have to face Frank’s death stare as a result of his betrayal. At least James would understand…

Lily left them to it, following Alice back to her cabin to find Marlene, Frank and Dorcas playing Jenga with a house of Exploding Snap cards. A perfectly-timed explosion burst through the door as Alice slid it open.

“Jesus Christ guys!” Alice exclaimed through shocked laughter as she swatted away the resulting thick mist, “That smoke better not get in our trunks! I don’t fancy my clothes smelling of campfire for the next three months…”

She went to sit on Frank’s lap, giving him a peck on the lips as she did. Lily followed Alice into the cabin, deciding instead to sit next to Marlene and blow the lovesick couple a kiss, with a wink thrown in for good measure. 

“Don’t worry Alice it’s fine!” Dorcas looked up from the fallen deck, stains of ash on her nose and cheeks, “Anyway, Lily!!! We heard about you and James! Congratulations!”

Lily blushed a little at just how fast the news had travelled; it looks like her and James wouldn’t actually need to tell anybody. 

“Um, yeah, well it just… over the summer, we got talking and things went from there.” 

Even saying it put a grin on Lily’s face. Ok, well she could hardly call Frank and Alice lovesick if this is what even _thinking_ about Potter was going to do to her! 

“I give it five months,” piped up Marlene, “I mean, it’s _James Potter_ , Lils! He’s arrogant, he’s shallow, and you remember what went on with him and Snape! You’ve got to admit it’s hardly a promising base for a relationship, weren’t you and Snape, like, super close?” 

Alice dug a pointed elbow into Marlene’s ribs, accompanied by a piercing “Shut up!” that rivalled Madam Pince’s. Nevertheless, the damage was done. 

“Well, I know James, and I know he’s a decent bloke, so don’t listen to her Lils.” Frank interjected, looking Lily in the eye with a wisdom beyond his years that warmed Lily’s heart a little. Of course she trusted the James she’d met over the summer, but what Marlene had said was true. All the Gryffindors knew the rumours about what went on with her and Severus, but the truth itself had managed to remain a mystery. 

“Maybe what happened last year is why I’m giving him a chance, Marlene. Did you think about that?” 

Marlene did have the decency to look guilty. She hadn’t meant anything bad by her words, “I’m sorry Lils, it’s just what I thought. I didn’t mean to be mean about it. I’m happy for you, and very excited for you both to prove me wrong.”

No matter what, Marlene could be depended upon for honesty, and Lily did appreciate it, so bygones became bygones and the Exploding Snap continued.

What none of the five Gryffindors had realised, however, was the sixth person who had heard Marlene’s truth bomb: James himself, and while Lily’s heart was soaring, his was sinking like a lead balloon.


	2. Just a Taste...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Too many people that I care about are saying that I haven’t changed, so many that I can’t tell for myself anymore…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because I'm still reworking parts of the story I'd already written, this chapter was ready a lot earlier than I'd expected. I'll try to make sure future chapters are released every 3-4 days but, just to celebrate the lovely reception the first chapter received, here's another lil' update for everyone!
> 
> As always, the Harry Potter universe and its characters are not legally my own, they belong to the fandom (so please don't sue my arse)...

_One Month Later_ …

“So, homework! One roll of parchment exploring the way in which post-trauma is managed in the aftermath of the Goblin Rebellion, due next week.”

While Lily was scribbling the assignment down furiously, Sirius was sharply woken up by Professor Binns’ exclamation. Well, that or by Remus kicking him awake to signal that class was over. To be fair to Sirius, it was the last class of the day and Binns is boring at the best of times, let alone after pulling an all-nighter for a crackpot scheme.

Students began the slow shuffle out of the classroom, as the door was only wide enough for one person at a time. It wasn’t hard for Lily to catch up to Remus, whose attempts to sprint out the class were poorly hidden. 

“Hey Remus!” Lily began brightly, she didn’t want to make it too obvious that she wanted something. Of course, that didn’t work.

“What do you want Lily?” Remus replied immediately, worried by how annoyed his response had come out. He was perfectly aware of what Lily wanted to ask, but he painfully wanted to avoid it, “Sorry, I mean, if this is about your copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ then I think it might be lost for good, Sirius did a pretty solid number on it when he used it for that Welcome Back prank in the library. I’ll buy you a new one I promise…”

Lily could see Remus was deflecting, but she was too determined to voice her thoughts aloud just to feel a little less insane and she knew that, out of all the Marauders, Remus wouldn’t judge. 

“Um, no, that’s not it. James already peer-pressured Sirius into getting me a new copy anyway. I’ve, um, well I just wanted to ask you something… it’s about James.”

As the two managed to make it out of the dusty, cobwebbed classroom, Remus finally turned to face Lily in full attention. This was exactly what he’d been worried about.

“Um, if this is about James then maybe Sirius is the one to ask? You know he’s the closest to him.”

Lily shook her head before he’d even finished. “No, Sirius would think I’m ridiculous, and I am, but I know you won’t judge me quite as harshly.”

This did cause Remus to look confused, “Ok.. what’s up then?”

Lily exhaled before asking, “Well, I know James has been very… vocal about the fact he cares about me, but now that we’re together and he’s not chasing anymore, he’s been… distant. I was just wondering if you knew anything about whether… he’s, I don’t know… gone off of me?”

Remus’ eyes flashed with concern, “You think he’s over you?” Lily nodded, flooded with guilt for even thinking it. Seeing how much Lily was clearing tearing herself up over it pushed Remus to pull her into a hug. That was enough for Lily to start tearing up and, before she knew it, there were the beginnings of a small wet patch on Remus’ jumper. 

Remus looked her in the eyes, his mouth a flat line as the cogs whirred in his brain, “You’re not stupid for asking, Lils, please don’t ever think that, I know he’s… been away a lot. But, in some weird, convoluted way it’s not because he likes you any less… it’s kind of the opposite actually.” He stopped himself there; Remus was sure that by James’ standards he'd already said too much, but he could hardly leave Lily in this bubble of insecurity that the whole bloody mess had caused! She didn’t deserve that. 

Unfortunately, this just left Lily even more confused that before, “Wait, what’s that supposed to- Remus!!”

She shouted after him as he began to run off and catch up with his fellow Marauders. 

Remus had started off his run a little too fast in his attempts to escape Lily before her confusion turned into an interrogation, and the result was a collision course set straight for Sirius on the stairs. 

“Jesus Rem! What axe-murder has you on their hit list?! Anyway, was that seriously the best you could do for Lilyflower?: ‘ _it’s not what you think?’!!_ ”

This time, Remus’ shove was deliberate. “Well what am I supposed to say? You know I’m not getting involved, Lily’s my friend too and this isn’t fair to her, honestly I don’t know what Prongs is thinking…” 

Sirius nodded in agreement on that one, Peter seemed to be the only Marauder on James’ side, “He’s just in love… it’s kind of sweet that he cares this much, don’t you think?” 

Remus almost laughed out loud, “No it’s not sweet, it’s exactly the type of stuff he’d have done 3 years ago and it’s what’s gonna fuck everything up… where is our Romeo anyway?”

“Who?”

Even to this day, Remus was still able to be shocked at the Wizard-Muggle divide, “Some day I’ll make sure you get that reference, I mean our idiotic star-crossed lover.”

Sirius chuckled, he always enjoyed the random Muggle references Remus would make: it was part of what made him the smart, bookish, kind weirdo they all knew and loved. “He’s in the dorm.The potion’s finally ready and he wants to try it tonight, is that gonna be ok? You’re still taking Healing potions from the last moon aren’t you?”

Remus had to stop his heart from jumping at the fact Sirius payed enough attention to remember, using the fact he’d caught Sirius doing the walk of shame from the Prefects’ bathroom only the week before to bring himself back down to Earth. 

“Um, actually I took the last one this morning, I should be ok.” 

Sirius smiled in acknowledgement, and the trio made their way up to Gryffindor tower to face the mess James Potter had made.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

“So how long is this… concoction going to last?” Sirius asked, eyeing up a corked, luminescent silver vial as he held it to the fading sunlight, giving off the impression that he would have any more of an idea of what it was if he did so. The other Marauders knew otherwise, but Sirius was a lover of the dramatic. 

“Just a few hours,” James replied, “it’s a concentrated solution of Time Turner sand. Without a vessel to contain it, the time displacement wears off after a while. I told Professor Harper that I was looking into becoming an Unspeakable after my N.E.W.T.s and she was all too happy to tell me about the ins and outs of a Time Turner…” He was clearly very proud of how he’d managed to pull this off.

Remus narrowed his eyes at James’ explanation, “Yeah but, James, Time Turner science is still in its experimental stages. We know what to put into a Time Turner to make it work but the qualities of the sand are still mostly unknown!…” By now, his frustration had turned into exasperation, “Look, why are you doing this? Really? I don’t believe that it’s about checking if you and Lily had a kid or whatever crap excuse you made up, and if we’re risking our necks over this then we should at least know why…”

Sirius gave up looking at the vial to nod along to Remus’ outburst. The two worked as a formidable unit when they wanted to, not that Remus spent many hours of the days thinking about it or anything. 

James shrugged his shoulders with a slight sense of defeat, the sweat on his face causing his glasses to slide about an inch further down his nose, “Ever since Lils and I got together, I’ve heard people saying it won’t work. First it was Marlene McKinnon on the Hogwarts Express, then Fabian Prewett at Quidditch practice, I even heard McGonagall asking Dumbledore if he was _sure_ he wanted me as Head Boy after the prank you guys pulled! Too many people that I care about are saying that I haven’t changed, so many that I can’t tell for myself anymore… I _need_ to see that Lils and I make it, even just for a year or two! I have to see that I can manage a long-term relationship with her without screwing it up.”

Remus was silent. Yes, he thought the idea was stupid, but he understood. If he could make a potion to figure out if there was any glimmer of hope with Sirius, he would do it in a heartbeat. He took a breath before taking a seat by the potions in the centre of the room, “Ok, so how far forward are we going?” 

At that moment, a distant thud echoed through the stone corridors of Gryffindor tower, making all four Marauders turn towards the dormitory door.

“Pete, could you go and check what that was? Apparently, when first exposed to air, the fumes are strong enough to take an effect, Pads we should probably open a window.”

With all these precautions, Remus couldn’t deny that James was smart. If he applied the knowledge he’d used for this craziness, he’d get just as good grades as Lily. “Prongs, do you want me to do anything?”

James shook his head before pushing his glasses back up his nose, “Nah you’re alright Moons, thanks though.” 

As he spoke, James handed Remus and Sirius a vial each of this Time Turner Solution, for want of a better word for it. Without planning it, the three stood in a circle, with a space left for Peter to join when he came back: it was practically a ritual at this point, Remus thought wryly, they may as well add some ‘standing in circles’ into the mix…

Of course, this was merely the calm before the storm. 

A magnificent crash sent the creaky, wooden door flying - almost off its hinges - to reveal a burst of flame-red hair and scolding emerald eyes: that was all the trio could see through the glittering misty swirls that were rising from the carpet, making a phantom ticking noise as they rose. All three vials had been dropped the second Lily had walked in, and before she could even ask what was going on, there was another resounding thud of four bodies hitting the floor - their still-open eyes entirely drained of life. For want of a better word, the four of them were dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! I realise at the minute this has been very Marauder-focused. Worry not! The Golden Trio and co. are on their way... 
> 
> Your thoughts are always appreciated, and have a lovely few days until the next upload <3


	3. Something Old, Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This stupidly brilliant bit of fabric was the only reason Harry wasn’t going to burst into Malfoy’s compartment and punch the answers to all his suspicions out of him. No, now was the moment for some of that Slytherin cunning that the Sorting Hat had called him out on all those years ago; ‘I guess you really do fight fire with fire’, Harry thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back again! As promised, this chapter is Golden Trio focused, and soon things will become a little more mixed... enjoy!

_1st September 1996_

Harry had never been so focused on his own breathing.

The act of holding the Invisibility Cloak over his head was beginning to make his biceps seize up. Despite last year’s growth spurts, as relatively small as they were, the material still dragged on the floor if Harry wasn’t careful: clearly he didn’t inherit his dad’s height! Because of this, wearing the cloak was to tread a very fine line: lifting the hefty fabric high enough to avoid Harry falling over his own feet, yet not so high that strangers would see a lone pair of amputated feet walking through the train. 

Eventually, his arms gave way in the carriage corridor and the Cloak flopped rather gracefully onto Harry’s head. This stupidly brilliant bit of fabric was the only reason Harry wasn’t going to burst into Malfoy’s compartment and punch the answers to all his suspicions out of him. No, now was the moment for some of that Slytherin cunning that the Sorting Hat had called him out on all those years ago; ‘I guess you really do fight fire with fire’, Harry thought to himself.

With the help of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder (he really needed to thank Fred and George again for that), Harry managed to slip into the cabin behind Theodore Nott, taking care to slowly shuffle his way onto the luggage rack. He had Malfoy in his sight now, the normally pristine blonde was looking a little more dishevelled than Harry expected, and he wanted to know why. 

As for Draco Malfoy, he knew Potter was there from the moment he entered the room. The heel of his dirty grey trainer (which must have originally began its life as a sparkling white) was poking out next to Blaise’s deep green leather-bound trunk: tut tut Potter, Draco thought, if you have an Invisibility Cloak then at least wear it correctly… 

“Was it you that made the darkness,Ted?” Pansy asked softly, “What took you so long, anyway? We were beginning to think you were hiding from us…”

Nott gave an embarrassed shake of his head. Harry had seen him leaving a compartment full of Ravenclaws, so who knows what he’d been up to.

“Never mind,” Draco interrupted the silence, “Come on, this chess game isn’t going to finish itself. I’m waiting for you to earn me some winnings when you lose…”

For Draco, Potter was the last thing he needed to be dealing with this year. Ever since he’d been spotted that day heading into Knockturn Alley with his mother, Draco had noticed the stares, the whispers, the _insistence_ that ‘Malfoy’s up to something’. Well, at least he wasn’t as stupid as he looked… God dammit, why couldn’t he be as stupid as he looks?!

Hours passed, and Harry had almost been rumbled: twice for sneezing and once for snoring. Malfoy couldn’t half be boring when he wanted to be!… ah. It was after lucky escape number three that Harry realised: right now, Malfoy wanted to be boring. He knew Harry was there. What was most surprising of all, though, was that he knew Harry was there and hadn’t exposed him. Harry understood in that moment that this was a challenge of stamina. He wasn’t going to be the one to blow his cover. If Malfoy wanted him gone, then Malfoy would have to make him leave. Besides, for Harry, the chance to be so un-Gryffindor was actually refreshing. While active confrontation is often the simplest way, Harry could concede that mind games have their place, especially if that place is beatingMalfoy at his own game…

Ron and Hermione, unaware of Harry’s predicament, continued to debate over the front page of the _Prophet_. 

“I just don’t get why you’re _paying_ to hear the stupid things they’re saying about Harry!”

“Because we need to know our enemy, Ron! At least then we’ll be prepared for whatever people say!”

‘Yeah but, whatever they say, what we do is still gonna stay the same: we tell them they’re stupid and ask them to go fuck themselves.” 

Hermione rolled her eyes, “No! We saw last year, even our friends were swayed by what the _Prophet_ was saying about Dumbledore and Harry, and now it’s only going to get worse. Our friends aren’t bad people for trusting what was supposedly a reliable news source, we just have to show them why it’s wrong.” She paused at that moment. Ron’s reaction was understandable. Honestly, her heart was telling her the exact same thing as he was, but her head knew that it would achieve nothing, and right now they needed to be thinking smartly. “Even your mum had her doubts at first, remember? But people can change. The more people on our side, the less people there will be that need to go fuck themselves, as you so politely put it.”

Ron gave a small chuckle at that, “Wow, Hermione Granger swearing… She must really think she’s right!”

Hermione glared back, her stern stare only lasting about two seconds before the pair both burst into a light laughter that quickly died down to an awkward silence. 

It was Ron who took the initiative to change the subject, “You’d think Harry would be back by now… I thought he only went to ask Luna something about, I dunno, Nargles or Snorckleflaxes or Moonbeams or something?”

Hermione nodded, not bothering to try and figure out which creatures Ron actually meant, “Yeah that’s what he said… maybe he’s with Ginny? She’s probably with Luna.” That was the most delicate way Hermione could think of to hint that Harry might want ‘alone time’ with Ginny. She’d noticed ever since the DA meetings that Harry seemed to have a crush on the youngest Weasley, and this sneaking off to see her only confirmed Hermione’s suspicions. Still, Ron rarely managed to detect subtlety. 

“Ok, let’s go find them then. We still need to have that Gobstones rematch and there’s probably only time for one game before we reach Hogwarts…”

Hermione, unsure as to how to actually stop Ron, decided she may as well go with him. Perhaps as they got nearer to Ginny’s compartment she could provoke Ron into talking really loudly, at least to warn them of the imminent interruption…

——————————————————————————————————————————————

“You go on, I just want to check something.”

Draco had his chance. As the Hogwarts Express lazily pulled into Hogsmeade station, he finally had an opportunity to confront Potter head-on. Screw the secret glances he’d thrown up to the luggage rack while Goyle droned on about his father’s renovations in the East Wing. Draco wanted to cut the crap. Ugh, how very Gryffindor of him… No, this wasn’t a confrontation, this was a warning…

“Didn’t Mummy ever tell you not to poke your nose in where it isn’t wanted, Potter?” He called out into the seemingly empty carriage, before dragging thin air from the luggage rack. Said ‘thin air’ certainly hit the ground with a heavy thud and a thick exhale in pain. 

“Oh, of course not, she didn’t learn that lesson herself.”

Draco knew the blow was a low one, but he needed Potter to stay out of his way this year. This needed to hurt.

Harry had landed awkwardly on his shoulder, and the sharp ache was now beginning to diffuse into his neck and torso. Still, that wouldn’t stop him from putting up a good fight, especially against Malfoy. He was so lanky you could practically snap him like a matchstick, even if this matchstick appeared to be lit.

“Fuck you Mal-!“

“-PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!”

Harry’s limbs snapped in their efforts to lock together. Nothing appeared broken, Harry was just losing to a blonde matchstick in a tailored suit: admittedly, not his finest hour. Still, not even his pride was wounded yet, all Harry felt was frustration. Malfoy was a constant source of frustration: a puzzle that Harry couldn’t solve, but one that was too interesting, or too dangerous, to leave alone. 

Malfoy drew close to Harry, reaching out for the thick mist of the Invisibility Cloak and ripping it away. Malfoy’s face was just inches away from Harry’s as he whispered, “Stay out of my way Potter.” Harry stared at Malfoy and, while his words were as cruel as they’d always been, there was a slight desperation in his eyes. Malfoy wasn’t threatening, he was practically pleading.

Draco pulled away. At the time, the move had felt menacing, but now all Draco could think of was how _aware_ he was of being so close to Potter and how, after looking in Draco’s eyes, his expression was shifting to pity: Draco had lost. His heart had beat so fast he was sure the Golden Boy could practically hear it for himself. That wouldn’t do, so Draco brought his foot down on Harry’s nose for good measure, making sure to hear a sharp crunch of the broken bone. This was a threat! Draco intended for it to work. There was no room for misinterpretation or pity or _closeness_. 

Harry’s mouth and nose were starting to pool with thick blood; if Malfoy didn’t remove the Body Bind soon then he would end up choking on it. He thought he heard a faint “Ron, hold on” in the distance, but in the space of the last few minutes he’d been thrown from a luggage rail, bound, and had his nose smashed in, so his perception was at least a little fuzzy. The world began to tilt in its new sepia filter, as Harry felt the familiar signs of being about to pass out. Nevertheless, he was fighting it. He needed to see Malfoy leave with his own eyes, which he soon did after covering Harry once again in the Invisibility Cloak’s shroud. Unfortunately, Malfoy knew how to place it without a foot sticking out. Nobody could even possibly find Harry until the train pulled back in to King’s Cross. 

Harry gave in to unconsciousness, unaware of the soft crash as a head of blonde hair also collapsed to the carriage floor. Eyes rolled into the backs of heads, and silence fell over the train.

_Stay out of my…_

_What the bloody hell do you…_

_Fuck you…_

_Pete could you go and check…_

_Ron hold on…_

In two identical instances, 20 years apart, eight still, lifeless bodies gasped for air.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do let me know what you think of this! I'll try and update on a weekly basis, although I imagine the schedule won't be particularly rigid... Still, all constructive criticism is welcome <3


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